Tag Archives: listen

Literally – our heart is an amazing pump. Approximately the size of your fist, and weighing less than 1 pound, it circulates approximately 6 quarts of blood throughout the body 3 times every minute. An adult’s heart pumps (re-circulates) nearly 4,000 gallons of blood each day through blood vessels. If these could be laid end-to-end, they would cover a distance of about 60,000 miles!

Symbolically – the heart represents different things to different people; somewhat “in the eye of the beholder,” so to speak. One interpretation that seems to transcend language and culture is that the heart symbolizes love, charity, and compassion.

Whether I’m at the end of a paper letter or email correspondence my closing is always “Listen with your heart.” It’s my perspective that the heart is the intersection of thinking (logic) and feeling (emotion). When these two powerful aspects of self are healthy and used in conjunction with each other, we function from a place of wisdom—the heart. This brings clarity in decision-making, removes drudgery, and adds exponentially to joy in the abundance factor.

It’s my perspective that we shouldn’t lead with our heart and only follow our emotions. Nor should we lead with our head and only follow logic. Rather, we should use the powerful combination of both and listen with our heart.

Regardless of the religious tradition or spiritual path, at least one basic ingredient is shared; prayer and/or meditation. I’m often asked if prayer and meditation are the same things. In my experience, they’re similar, yet different. I think of prayer as talking with Divine Love and meditation as listening to Divine Love. Most of us have the talking part down pat. Many of us struggle with the listening part. As one of my clients says, “Even though it’s simple, it’s not always easy.” Simple and easy aren’t the same. Simplicity is efficiency, a clearing of clutter—mental or otherwise; while easy is uncomplicated and trouble-free.

Whether we pray out loud or speak from the quietness of our mind, our words and thoughts are things—they have a vibration—which means they’re powerful. In her book The Dynamic Laws of Prayer, Catherine Ponder wrote, “When you pray, you stir into action an atomic force. You release a potent spiritual vibration that can be released in no other way. Through prayer, you unleash a God energy within and around you that gets busy working for you and through you.”

You’ve heard the famous quote by Epictetus, Roman (Greek-born) slave and philosopher: “We have two ears and one mouth so we may listen more and talk less.” To me that means that when we speak, it should add value.

What we voice has the capability of transforming negative emotions and evoking particular emotional responses. For that reason, I suggest to my clients to only voice what they want, and to refrain from stating what they don’t want. In other words, instead of making statements like “Don’t slam the door,” “Don’t forget your lunch,” and “Don’t talk to me like that,” state your desired outcome instead—say what you want. “Shut the door quietly, please.” “Remember your lunch.” “Speak to me with respect.”

Positive statements help develop neural pathways in the brain for optimistic thinking. When we voice what we want—the constructive end result of what we’re asking for—we provide those in our sphere of influence with tools for success. A subtle shift in our communication can result in improved behavior. It also makes us feel better about our interaction with the people around us.

I took the photograph in today’s post during a recent stay at the UW-Madison campus. It caught my attention because it appears to serve no purpose—a decorative hole in the foundation of a pedestrian bridge. I keep it in my line of vision to serve as a subtle reminder: make sure your ears and mouth aren’t just decorative.

My favorite thing on the planet is trees. Next is laughter. I love to laugh! It’s a great antidote to stress. As a Holistic Health Practitioner, I can share this fact with certainty: of the 206 bones in the human body, the most important one is the funny bone.

We’ve all heard the saying that “Laughter is the best medicine.”It really is. Just like a spoonful of sugar, laughter is easy to take. Possessing the same positive impact as inspiration, love, generosity, tolerance and respect, laughter is one of the many characteristics of Divine Love—Spirit. Simply put, laughter is good for the soul.

By the way, if you take the time to listen, you can hear the trees laugh too …

Whether I am at the end of a paper letter or email correspondence my signature signoff is always “Listen with your heart.”

It is my perspective that the heart is the intersection of thinking (logic) and feeling (emotion). When these two powerful aspects of self are healthy and used in conjunction with each other, we function from a place of wisdom—the heart. This brings clarity in decision-making, removes drudgery and adds exponentially to joy in the abundance factor.

Cliff Echo Bay by Terrill Welch

On February 20, 2010, I received the following email from my friend, author, photographer and artist, Terrill Welch:

On Sunday, February 14th, a circle was called here on Mayne Island (BC, Canada) for World Sound Healing Day. I thought of this thread part way through the prayers, songs, and chants that accompanied each person as they walked the portable labyrinth. The chants changed as those around the circle listened deeply and intuitively to what was needed for the person walking. This wasn’t discussed, explained or even anticipated by those holding the circle.

Laurie, because of you – I had a name for what was happening. In thinking about this experience this morning I decided to come by and thank you.

This photo is the latest heart I have found in nature… I hope you can find it on the cliff rocks. This photo was taken in Echo Bay on Saturna Island, BC, Canada.”

Terrill’s email continued … “It was an absolutely sacred place where the energy flow immediately aligned within me without any effort. The sensation was enough to want to drop to my knees in tears. A geographical place with this kind of open-field-of-energy is not something I experience everywhere (Haida Gwaii and Machu Picchu are two other places)… though, the whole of Saturna Island seems to have a kind of sacred hum. Over 50% of the land on this island is now part of one of Canada’s newest National Parks. About 250 residents live there full-time. The island has very limited services and the people, on the whole, are minimalist. They recently raised $5,000 for the Red Cross efforts in Haiti under the banner of — From one island to another.